


Potter, Emrys, and Pendragon

by SuperSherlockedGallifreyan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Deathly Hallows AU, Gen, Hogwarts, Immortal!Arthur, Immortal!Merlin, Post-Season/Series 05 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-04-12 00:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4457960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSherlockedGallifreyan/pseuds/SuperSherlockedGallifreyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts, two unlikely men show up wanting to help Harry Potter and the Order. But who are these men? What are they hiding, and can Harry trust them? Also, what is Voldemort planning?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Destiny Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: The original version of this story has been taken down. This is a rewrite and soon to be completion of my first attempt at this story.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin.

Merlin winced at the sight before him. Times may have changed, yet violence due to magic continued. Even when he was back in Camelot, all those countless centuries ago, there were wars revolving around magic. Back then, it was those without magic against those with. Now, it was between magic users themselves over the crazy idea of blood purity.

It was ludicrous that magic users, who now called themselves witches and wizards, believed in this concept so deeply that they were willing to kill for the pure-blood cause. Whole families were slaughtered. Those followers even had no qualms about murdering children as they currently were attacking Hogwarts and all of its occupants. Spells flew all around him. Incantations were shouted out, and screams of pain and horror followed suit. In essence, chaos littered the area.

The world was different now. Merlin, however, hadn't changed much, not even aging a minute since that fateful moment.

 _At least I'm not alone_ , Merlin told himself as he glanced at the man beside him.

After Arthur had been stabbed by Mordred, Merlin took him to the Lake of Avalon, crying out to the Old Religion to save Arthur. Then, Morgana showed up. Merlin slew her with Arthur's sword, and the Old Religion granted him his wish, but there was a cost. Everyone had the think both Arthur and Merlin were dead, and they were forbidden to get involved with the Earth's events. Their time was up for the moment, and it wasn't their place to interfere until the right time presented itself.

Over time, Arthur began to accept Merlin as a warlock, but he absolutely hated not being allowed to help Camelot or Gwen, who now ruled alone. They were both proud of her as she got rid of the anti-magic laws and welcomed all into the Kingdom. Arthur, though unhappy, stayed in the shadows with Merlin.

After Gwen died of old age, and Camelot subsequently fell, Arthur went over the edge, drowning in grief. Blaming Merlin and his magic for everything, he left. For years, Merlin searched for him before deciding to stop and wait for Arthur to come to him when he was ready.

A hundred years passed, and Merlin silently watched as magic changed. With the Old Religion declining, a new form of magic emerged where wizards channeled their magic through a stick that contained a magical core. This new magic was far weaker than that of the Old Religion, but Merlin grew to accept these stick-wielding wizards. The only thing that he didn't like was having to get a wand himself in order to not appear suspicious to others.

He quickly found out that his wand had to be that of the Old Religion like himself. All other wands couldn't cope with his strong magic and simply blew up. In the end, Merlin made his own wand himself. He used wood belonging to one of the trees on the Isle of the Blessed and a dragon scale provided by Kilgharrah as the magical core. He hated using it because it made his magic feel constricted, but it worked and helped him fit in.

It wasn't until Merlin met four friends with a wild ambition that the Old Religion permitted him to act. He befriended and helped the four, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin, build the first-ever school for magic users, Hogwarts. Merlin became the fifth Founder, the Founder that no one would know about as he made the four to keep him a secret. Merlin wanted no credit for any of the work that he did at Hogwarts. He was just a ghost.

There was still no sign of Arthur until Hogwarts was about to make its grand opening for the first school year. During the years that Arthur was away, he had come to terms with Gwen's death and the fall of Camelot. He also realized that he was wrong in blaming Merlin. He wanted to make it up to his friend and that was when he found out he had magic too. He then spent years teaching himself Old Religion magic with every scrap of information that he could get his hands on in hopes that when he reconciled with Merlin, the man would accept his apology.

Merlin did forgive Arthur, and together they delved into learning about the new magic that was now prevalent. Merlin found that Arthur also could only wield a wand that was of the Old Religion and made Arthur a wand similar to his own.

Five years flew by as Merlin and Arthur taught students at Hogwarts and learned as much as they could about magic from Rowena's massive book collection. But all too soon, they had to leave. The Old Religion forced them to pull back into the shadows. They could only watch again, even as Salazar became at odds with the others and was ordered to leave.

Centuries passed, and all Merlin and Arthur had were each other. They continuously looked for ways to keep themselves from boredom. Together, they attended Hogwarts many times by de-aging themselves and only going back when there were no staff members around that would remember them from before. They also taught at Hogwarts a few times and ran a store in Diagon Alley every now and then.

The two of them sat by and watched as Tom Riddle rose to power only to act one night when he tried to kill Harry Potter. Using the power of Lily Potter's sacrifice, Merlin was able to put a protection charm on Harry which saved the child's life and temporarily stopped the rising Dark Lord. After Voldemort's disappearance, it was back to doing nothing, they tried their best to indirectly help Harry by magically unlocking his cupboard door so that he could sneak to get some food, helping Vernon forget about something magical that Harry had done, and giving Harry a bit of added luck when encountering something dangerous at school — which happened way too often in Merlin's opinion.

Once Riddle gained his body back, things changed. The Old Religion gave them some opportunities to directly help, and they took full advantage of them. Both Merlin and Arthur single-handedly fought off many dementors to prevent them from getting to Harry the following summer, saving him from all but two of them. Arthur convinced a herd of centaurs to save Harry and Hermione from Umbridge. Merlin pulled Sirius out of the Veil in the Ministry of Magic. Also, they fought off many Death Eaters that were attacking innocents. Despite all this, they still wished that they could help more.

Then after all those years bound to inactivity with the occasional room for some direct interference, Merlin knew it was time. He felt it strongly and deep within himself as if the Old Religion had hit him with a shock wave that reverberated through his entire being.  _Your destiny is now, Emrys and Pendragon. Help Harry Potter. Stop Tom Riddle._

"We will." Merlin's words kicked Arthur into action.

"We need to split up. I'll go find Harry, while you find Voldemort. I know it's Harry's destiny to kill him, but we can at least do something to get him to stop the attack."

"Something is wrong," Merlin said, looking at the battle around them, sensing that something was off.

So far, they both had spent the battle crouching in a hiding place. They could see most of what was going on around them, but they were obscured from everyone else's view. They stayed there shooting off spells at any Death Eater that strayed close enough to them, waiting for this moment when the Old Religion would give them the green light to really participate in the fighting.

During all that time, Merlin was able to get a good feel for the battle. Something about it was bugging him, and he couldn't figure out what it was exactly.

"What do you mean?"

Merlin saw Arthur look around desperately trying to find what it is that he missed. It only took seconds before he, who was trained in battle tactics since birth, caught it. "Not all the Death Eaters are fighting."

Arthur was right. Although most of the Death Eaters were immersed in casting spells at those who decided to defend Hogwarts, a few ran past the fighting with determined looks.

"They're looking for something."

Arthur nodded his head in agreement.

"But what are they looking for?"

Merlin too was at a loss for what it was that they were trying to find.

Arthur turned back to Merlin.

"Alright. New plan. I'll still go and try to find Harry. You go figure out what it is that they are looking for. Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about it."

It was Merlin's turn to nod his head in agreement.

"Same here."

Arthur gave Merlin a firm pat on the shoulder as a silent 'good luck' before he was off sprinting through the halls in search of Harry while randomly throwing spells at any Death Eater he passed by.

Merlin took a deep breath. After all these years, the time had finally come. His destiny was upon him.

 _This time_ , he decided,  _I will not fail_.

With a look of grim determination on his face, Merlin raced off.

* * *

Merlin was out of breath. Even with all the training that Arthur forced him to do, he was still human. Not only was Merlin running in an effort to keep up with the large form of the Death Eater in front of him, he was also firing off multiple spells at the Death Eaters that were attacking students, some of which looked way too young to even be participating in the fighting.

After a while, Merlin seriously began to doubt the person's ability to navigate the castle. He had no clue where the end destination was supposed to be because the path that he was being led through was completely nonsensical. Merlin figured that if Voldemort was going to send his followers on an important mission, he would send someone that was familiar with the terrain or at least give them a map.

Merlin skidded to a halt as he came around a corner and saw Remus Lupin and Sirius Black surrounded by Death Eaters, desperately trying to fight them off. The odds didn't look to be in favor of the former. Merlin really liked both of them. Hell, he brought Sirius back from the other side of the Veil — definitely not an easy task — and often found himself looking after Remus during the full moon — the man reminded Merlin of Freya in that Remus couldn't help the monster that he would sometimes be forced to transform into.

Giving one last look at the fleeing figure he had desperately been following in hopes of finding answers, Merlin set his mind to helping the duo. With lightning-fast speed, Merlin took down three of the Death Eaters, allowing Remus and Sirius to finish off the last two. Once all the attackers were down, the two turned to Merlin, gawking at the sight of him.

Merlin inwardly cursed himself. He shouldn't have displayed so much power and speed. He had been so focused on helping that he forgot something vitally important — maintaining his cover. No average wizard could have done what he just did, much less one who was as young as he appeared.

"How did you manage to take so many of them down that fast?" Sirius asked. One glimpse at Remus' face told Merlin that he too was thinking the same thing.

_Shit._

As always, Merlin needed to get better at hiding what he could do. You'd think he'd be a master at it after so many centuries, but sadly, that wasn't the case.

Merlin, still trying to catch his breath from all the running, attempted to downplay what he just did.

"All of them were too busy attacking you two that they didn't notice me. It wasn't really that impressive."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sirius muttered.

"I would love to stay and chat some more, but I'm sure you've noticed that there is a battle going on. I have to run." Merlin didn't want to stick around in case they decided to ask any more questions, besides, he needed to figure out what those Death Eaters were looking for.

Merlin took off in the direction he last saw the Death Eater he had previously been following. He ran down random corridors, hoping that he would have a bit of luck and actually find the person. Luck was not on his side, however. He couldn't find the person anywhere, but he did find two redheads at odds with a group of Death Eaters. Merlin recognized them as two of the Weasleys and the lead Death Eater as the current Minister of Magic.

"Hello, Minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?" The eldest of the two Weasleys was the one who spoke. Merlin was unsure of which one he was.  _Percy maybe?_

His thoughts were cut off as the other Weasley, the one he recognized as one of the twins, spoke.

"You're joking Perce! You are actually joking! I don't think I've heard you joke since you were..."

Merlin saw the attack before the spell was finished being cast. The warlock quickly raised his left hand, his right holding his forgotten wand. " _Sclidan!_ " Merlin's voice was lost in the sound of the explosion, but his spell worked. While the hall around them was severely damaged, the two Weasleys were unharmed. Shocked but unharmed.

Both looked at him in awe before more spells were cast at them, forcing them to counteract. Merlin, now remembering to use his wand, joined in. Minutes later, when all the Death Eaters had been taken care of, the younger of the two turned to him.

"Thank you!"

"It was nothing really." Merlin once again tried to downplay his magical abilities.

Percy disagreed, though. "Nothing really?! You probably just saved mine and Fred's lives! And that shield spell you used, I've seen nothing like it!"

"You were amazing!" Fred practically shouted, looking impressed.

Merlin shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise and attention he was receiving. "I was just trying to help."

"Thanks for that! I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if you weren't here," Percy said with Fred nodding in agreement.

"Well, I'm glad I was here to help. I... There they are!" Relief and excitement rushed into Merlin as he spotted the Death Eater he was looking for. Said person, having just turned into the hall, was quickly making their way in the opposite direction, oblivious to the three of them standing there.

"Sorry! I have to go," Merlin shouted over his shoulder as he ran to catch up to the Death Eater, who now turned into a different hallway. Merlin ran as fast as his body would allow and didn't turn to look back when he heard Fred's diminishing voice saying something about how weird that was.

Merlin was extremely thankful that neither noticed that he didn't use a wand for the shield spell. He also reminded himself that he needed to make sure to always use his wand. He wasn't ready for everyone to know his true identity yet. That could seriously complicate matters, and using wandless magic definitely wouldn't help keep his secret.

It wasn't long until the Death Eater ahead finally reached their destination. Merlin slowed to a stop and watched as the Death Eater joined two others and walked up the stairs towards the headmaster's office.

* * *

 

Arthur ran through the halls of Hogwarts, dodging spells and people alike. He knew he had to find Harry, but he had no idea where to begin looking for him, so he just ran through the castle, searching everywhere. He was running through one hall when he heard a voice that made him have an idea. Arthur did a scan of the area and quickly found the owner of the voice he had heard, Peeves. The poltergeist was having the time of his life — or afterlife — attacking the Death Eaters by dropping what appeared to be Snargaluff pods on them.

"Peeves," Arthurs whispered harshly, trying to get the poltergeist's attention. Peeves rapidly turned around, getting ready to throw at whoever called his name but instantly lowered his arm when he saw that it was Arthur.

"You haven't seen Potter anywhere, have you, Peeves? Harry Potter."

"Peeves has just saw wee Potter. He was with the other two that he does trouble with. They were talking about the Shrieking Shack."

"Ha! Thanks, Peeves! And, uh, keep up the good work here."

Peeves straightened up to give Arthur a soldier's salute before continuing his work on wreaking havoc upon the Death Eaters. Arthur rushed away, thanking the stars for Peeves.

He had known the poltergeist since the opening of Hogwarts. Although they didn't get off on the right foot — Peeves releasing a multitude of bugs in Arthur's sleeping chambers — over time, they grew to have a friendship of sorts. It helped that Peeves respected, and somewhat feared, Merlin with his immense magical power, and knew that Arthur and Merlin were close enough to be brothers which resulted in some of that respect drifting over to Arthur. Both Arthur and Merlin had often participated in a prank or game with Peeves to alleviate boredom during their many attendances at Hogwarts, and Peeves took to helping them sneak around at night every now and then. It had always helped to have Peeves on their side, especially now.

Arthur burst into a room that had a window facing the direction of the Shrieking Shack and looked out, hoping to spot Potter. Sure enough, he saw three figures running to the Whomping Willow and disappear into the secret passageway that Arthur knew would lead them into the old house.

Not wanting to waste time by running all the way to the Shack, Arthur took a deep breath and close his eyes before he said, " _Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!_ "

When Arthur opened his eyes, he smiled to himself. He now stood in a room on the top floor of the Shrieking Shack. Hearing muffled voices below. Arthur silently made his way to the lower floor so that he could make out what was being said. The first words he could coherently hear was Voldemort's order for Nagini to kill.

Thinking the worst, Arthur quickened his pace, halting when he found a door to the room he heard the voices come from. Silently, he cracked open the door, peering in to see Voldemort and his snake leave. Glancing over, he saw the fallen form of Severus Snape slumped against the wall and bleeding profusely. Relief washed over Arthur before he felt a stab of guilt. He was relieved that it was Snape and not Harry that was attacked, but he felt guilty for the relief because he knew that Snape, despite his many flaws, was trying to do the right thing.

Arthur was about to open the door to go help Snape, who was still alive but was beaten to it when Harry emerged from under his invisibility cloak. Arthur remained where he was, watching as Snape told Harry to take the silvery substance pouring out of him. It wasn't until the three teens left after Snape had stilled that Arthur went into the room. Figuring that he could find Harry again but this was his only chance to save the man, Arthur set to work.

Arthur dropped to his knees beside the potions master and felt for a pulse. Snape was unresponsive, but Arthur could swear that he felt a pulse. It was extremely weak, but it was there nevertheless and quickly fading. Placing his hand on Snape's chest, he summoned as much magic as he could. Merlin said that he once did this to Arthur after he was poisoned by a brainwashed Gwen. He hoped that the spell would work on Snape and that he had enough magic to do the spell properly.

Taking a breath, he spoke. " _Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!_ "

Arthur collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. He had never attempted to even try spells nearly as powerful as the one he just did, and it took just about every ounce of energy that he had to do it. On all fours with his head pressed to the ground, Arthur struggled to remain conscious. Despair crept into his heart, though. He hadn't heard any movement from Snape, nothing to show that Arthur had succeeded.

Suddenly, all of this despair vanished from existence when he heard a confused voice.

"Who are you?" it asked.

* * *

 

Snape opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.  _Why aren't I dead?_

His eyes drifted across the battered room and landed on someone beside him. A young man was down on his knees and elbows and looked to be on the verge of passing out with his forehead pressed firmly on the ground. It occurred to Snape that this young man was the reason that he was alive right now, which only served to confuse him even further. Snape had no idea who his young man was. He had thick blond hair, a strongly built body, and looked around twenty. He had probably just finished school a couple of years ago, but Snape didn't recognize him from any of the past years that he taught. He had muggle clothing on, so the possibility of the mystery man being a Death Eater was tossed out the window. But, if he was against Voldemort, then Snape didn't know why the guy would save him. Everyone believed Snape to be on the dark side.

Also, Snape knew that he had to have either been already dead or on the brink of death when this young man intervened, meaning that some seriously powerful magic must have been involved. How this boy accomplished such a feat was beyond the potions master. The more he thought the more questions arose until he finally decided to get some answers.

"Who are you?"

At first, the stranger gave no indication of hearing his question, then Snape could see a smile slowly begin to stretch across his face.

"Actually, I have a question for you," the young man said hoarsely, remaining in his bent down position with his eyes closed. "You're a double agent, spying on an actual Dark Lord, who has a monstrous pet snake and could kill you at any time he wants with no remorse, and you don't think to carry around any anti-venom?"

Snape was stunned silent, his mind reeling from all the stranger had said. Somehow, he knew what Snape was truly doing. He knew which side Snape was actually working for. The only man who should have known that was Dumbledore, but the late headmaster swore that the secret would remain between them.

The young man's eyes remained closed as he slowly sat up. "You're even a potions master!"

Snape, who was still utterly surprised at the knowledge this man had on him, kept his voice steady and face blank. "You seem to know quite a bit about me, and yet, I know nothing of you."

When the young man opened his eyes and turned toward him, Snape was taken aback even further. The young man's eyes contradicted his youthful body. His eyes, though currently filled with undeniable relief and fatigue, looked as if they belong to an old man.

"I'm Alden. I know you don't know me, but I knew Dumbledore."

"If you were so close with Dumbledore, then why did he never mention you?" Snape's suspicion was high. He knew the Dumbledore was a very secretive person and never told Snape everything, but something felt off.

"Look. I know you have a lot of questions and don't have any reason to trust me, but there is a battle going on. The interrogation can wait at the moment. We need to move."

Alden shakily stood up and pulled a brown wand out of his pocket. He then held out his arm for Snape, who also stood, to take hold of. Snape gave a doubtful look at Alden's swaying body.

"Perhaps it would be wisest if I were to be the one to perform the side along apparition. I have no desire to be splinched.

Alden gritted his teeth. "I am perfectly fine. I can apparate."

"Don't be foolish. You can barely stand up."

Alden looked as though he wanted to argue some more, but he painfully swallowed his pride and begrudgingly took Snape's outstretched arm.

"Where to exactly?"

"Your office will probably be best."

Alden fell back to the floor soon after Snape apparated them to the middle of the Headmaster's office. The place was ransacked but appeared empty. Objects and papers littered the floor, but with a flick of Snape's wand, they righted themselves into their proper place.

"Alden?"

Snape whipped his head around to see yet another unknown young man, who he swore wasn't there a moment ago. He was tall and lanky with messy raven black hair and deep blue eyes that were similar to Alden's in the fact that they too appeared old.

Snape looked down at Alden, who was still on the floor. "You know him?"

"Yes, that's my cousin," he answered, giving the other young man an odd look. "What are you doing in here, Michael?"

"I followed some Death Eaters up here."

Snape instantly was on guard with his wand pointed out as he scanned the room for any Death Eaters. If he missed seeing Michael, Snape wondered if he missed anyone else. He had no idea if all of the Death Eaters knew about Voldemort turning on him, but he didn't want to take that chance.

"Don't worry," Michael said. "They aren't here anymore. They, um, just left, and I doubt they'll return."

Snape was given little time to contemplate how suspicious that sounded before Michael spoke again, this time to Alden. "I did find out what they are looking for, though."

Snape's curiosity perked up, and it appeared the same could be said for Alden. Snape wasn't aware the Voldemort sent out some of his followers to search for something.  _How did these two know?_

"What is it?" Alden asked.

"It's a crystal from the Crystal Caves."

"Like the Crystal of Neahtid?" Alden asked.

"Exactly."

Snape thought back. He remembered Voldemort was looking for some crystal a few years back, but he was never told what the crystal did or why he wanted it. He also hadn't heard any news about the search for the crystal recently, so never thought of it. He figured that they couldn't find it and abandoned the search. Voldemort somehow found significant evidence that the crystal was somewhere in Hogwarts, though.

The Crystal of Neahtid sounded familiar, but Snape couldn't recall where he had heard of it before. Since he was never privy to Voldemort's search for the crystal, he must have learned about it from some other place.  _Although_ , he reasoned,  _if Voldemort wants it this badly, it can't be good._

A chime rang out, tearing Snape away from his thoughts. He knew what it meant. "Someone is coming up the stairs."

It didn't take long for Michael to help Alden up, so they could all hide. Snape concealed himself in the shadows along with the two and prepared himself to attack if need be. The door opened slowly, and Snape silently cursed himself for forgetting.

Harry Potter walked in, holding the vial containing Snape's memories.

* * *

 

Merlin stood absolutely still as he watched Harry make is way into the room while he silently congratulated himself for remembering to call Arthur by his fake name when he saw both him and Snape apparate into the room. But, right now, so many questions raced through his head.  _What is Harry doing in here? Why is Arthur with Snape? What is wrong with Arthur? He can barely stand up. Why is Voldemort after the crystal?_

The first of Merlin's questions was answered when Harry walked over to the pensive. The boy came here to look at some memories.  _But, why?_

Merlin looked over at Snape. He knew Snape was very skilled in keeping his emotions and thoughts to himself, a trait that served him well as a double spy. Snape's face rarely displayed anything. But, Merlin, too, was skilled in keeping things hidden. It was a skill he quickly learned when he first went to Camelot, and he honed it down to a fine art over the centuries. So with that, Merlin was able to pick up on the minute details that others would never see. What Merlin saw on Snape's face told him that he knew what Harry was looking at. The most likely explanation then was that it was Snape's memories. That conclusion served to raise more questions, though.

Time passed painfully slow before Harry finally left. Since Voldemort's announcement, Merlin knew Harry well enough to know that he was going to go face Voldemort, but he figured he had enough time to get some answers before he followed.

Merlin walked out of his hiding place and turned around to face Snape. "Why was Harry looking at your memories?"

Snape's eyes widened just a hair, telling Merlin that he was shocked. Snape was probably wondering how Merlin knew.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Fine. Don't. Just answer me this — Harry is going to sacrifice himself to Voldemort, right?"

Snape's face hardened. "That's the way it has to be," he said slowly as if he was still trying to convince himself of that.

Merlin nodded and now focused his attention on Arthur. "What did you do?"

"I'm fine," he said dismissively.

"Sure you are," Merlin said sarcastically. "You're not having trouble staying awake or standing at all."

"Shut up, Michael!"

Snape intervened before Merlin could say the insult that was forming on his lips. It appeared that the spy figured he could use the situation to gain some information for himself. "He saved me. I was attacked by the Dark Lord's snake, and Alden here healed me. What spell did you use again? It must have been something extremely powerful if it depleted your magical core to such an extent."

Merlin turned back to Arthur and raised an eyebrow, not unlike how Gaius frequently did to him back in Camelot. Arthur cringed a little, bringing Merlin some satisfaction.

"Remember way back when Gwen wasn't in her right mind and gave me that goblet?"

Merlin understood exactly what spell Arthur was referring to. That spell was a really powerful one, and for Arthur to complete it, it drained him. No wonder he was having trouble. Since Snape was here, Merlin couldn't rip Arthur a new one for being such an idiot, so he just nodded but not before giving Arthur a look, telling him that they were going to finish discussing it later.

Merlin quickly put on his usual cheery face and clapped his hands together. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to go help stop Voldemort. You two are going to stay here and rest."

Both opened their mouths to argue Merlin's decision, but the warlock quickly raised his hand to silence them. "You," he said pointing to Snape," may have just been magically healed, but you need some rest for you to fully heal."

"And you," Merlin said, pointing to Arthur, "don't even look like you could make it down the stairs let alone take on a Dark Lord. So, you both should go lie down somewhere."

Neither made a move. Merlin made an exasperated noise before lowering his eyes so that Snape couldn't see them flash gold as he whispered, " _Swefe nu._ "

Both Snape and Arthur instantly fell asleep. With another flash of gold, they landed softly on two mats. First, making sure that they were out of view, so that no one could simply walk in and find them, Merlin set off to go find Harry.

He jogged quickly through the castle and out onto the grounds, not slowing when he entered the Forbidden Forest. He knew exactly where Harry was going. He just hoped that he would get there in time to ensure Harry's safety. Merlin quickly made his way to the edge of the clearing and spotted Harry. Keeping out of sight, Merlin watched silently as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry.

Merlin did nothing as Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry. He knew all about the Horcrux inside the boy and knew that it had to be destroyed. Merlin also knew that if Voldemort himself were to kill him, that the Horcrux would die, but Harry would survive. So no, Merlin did not come here to stop Voldemort from using the killing curse on Harry. He came to ensure his safety afterward in case Voldemort realized that he didn't actually kill him.

Even still, Merlin flinched as the green light flew out of Voldemort's wand and struck Harry, causing both Harry and Voldemort to collapse to the ground at the same time. Merlin allowed a small smile to stretch across his have. There was now only one Horcrux left. After that one was destroyed, then Voldemort would be mortal once again.

Also, with quick thinking, Merlin did something else. Just like he did the night of Lily Potter's death, he used the power of Harry's sacrifice and used it to protect those fighting to defend Hogwarts. Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and his smile grew bigger. The spell was tricky and would only provide protection in certain situations, but it should be enough to make sure that no one else protecting Hogwarts would die in that battle.

Now, Merlin just had to make sure that Harry remained safe until the opportune time for Harry to complete his destiny and kill Voldemort. He braced himself as Narcissa Malfoy walked over to Harry to check for signs of life. Merlin waited with baited breath as she bent down close to Harry. He was immensely relieved and slightly confused when she confirmed Harry's death. Merlin knew he was alive. He even reached out with his magic just to be sure.  _So, why did she lie?_

For good measure, Voldemort sent out several Cruciatus Curses. Merlin congratulated himself when he saw that they had no effect on Harry. His protection spell worked, even on Harry himself.

Merlin followed, at a good distance to the side, as Hagrid carried Harry back to Hogwarts. He felt sorry for the grief Hagrid felt and wished that he could tell him that Harry wasn't really dead. But, to do that would be to also alert Voldemort and the Death Eaters of the same thing. So, Merlin did nothing but knew that the half-giant would find out soon enough.

Merlin stopped following when the centaurs came into view and Hagrid remarked on their cowardliness. The centaurs may respect him and Arthur, but they despised almost all other humans. Merlin wondered if he could convince them to fight, so he stayed back and approached the centaurs when Voldemort's group disappeared from sight.

Merlin looked up at Bane, who said, "they are humans, yet I feel ashamed, Emrys."

"So, what are you going to do to fix that?" Merlin inquired.

Bane stayed silent, but Ronan spoke up, raising his fist in the air. "We fight! Show them that the centaurs are still mighty!"

Ronan's words were met with agreement and weapons thrust up into the air. "We are not cowards!"

And with that, they raced off towards Hogwarts. Merlin ran too but quickly fell behind for he was not as fast as the four-legged creatures. When he finally arrived at the castle, it was in chaos again. The battle was on and stronger than ever. But, Merlin noticed with a gleam in his eye that the Hogwarts defenders were not being greatly affected by the Death Eater's spells. The protection spell Merlin cast with Harry sacrifice was truly working.

Merlin made his way into the Great Hall, firing off random spells with his wand at many Death Eaters while also looking for Harry. He didn't see the boy anywhere.  _Did anyone even know that Harry was still alive?_

His thoughts were cut off when he heard someone yell, "not my daughter, you bitch!"

Merlin turned to see Molly Weasley duel Bellatrix Lestrange and kill her. The victory was short lived when Voldemort cried out in deep fury and aimed his wand at Molly. Merlin quickly knocked Voldemort back as someone else cast a strong shield charm to protect her. Spinning around, Merlin saw Harry emerge out from under an invisibility cloak.  _No wonder I couldn't find him anywhere_ , Merlin thought to himself.

Voldemort looked incredibly shocked at the sight of Harry, but an evil smile began to take form as Voldemort glanced away from Harry, looking at a Death Eater, standing in the entrance way to the Great Hall. The Death Eater held up a large crystal before quickly apparating away. A string of curses slipped out of Merlin's mouth as he turned back to Voldemort, who now looked triumphant.

Voldemort stared at Harry, a cold glint in his eyes. "You may be still alive, Harry Potter, but you haven't won. The future belongs to me now, and I can assure you that you won't be in it much longer."

Before anyone, let alone Merlin, could react, Voldemort, along with the rest of his followers, apparated away at the same time. The entire hall took on a state of shock, except Harry, who screamed out in rage. Merlin understood and felt the same. He too was hoping that it would all be over now.  _But when is a destiny every easy?_

Merlin turned around and headed back to the Headmaster's office, hoping to wake up Arthur, so they could plan their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment letting me know what you think!


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will not be a Merthur fanfic. The only pairings that I intend to include in this story are the ones that are canon for both Harry Potter and Merlin.

Harry was beyond angry. Actually, the word angry couldn't even begin to describe how he was feeling. It seemed as though everything was spiraling downward, and it was becoming difficult to comprehend anything that was going on. Snape was good all this time, but now he was dead, killed by Voldemort. Voldemort was supposed to be dead now, but he left for some reason. _Why did Voldemort leave? Why did he give up this battle?_  Sure his side was starting to lose, but he wasn't the type to just abandon his mission. So, there must have been something more important to cause Voldemort to leave.  _But what?_

Harry's thoughts were cut off when Ron and Hermione ran up and pulled him into a bone-crushing group hug. He gripped his two best friends fiercely, reluctant to let go when they began to pull away.

"Don't you ever dare do that again, Harry," Hermione yelled at him, punching his arm harshly.

"Yeah, mate. You had us worried sick," Ron chimed in.

Harry inwardly cringed, his anger slowly dissipating as he thought about what it must have felt like for his friends. Even his family, Harry noted as his gaze landed on Sirius, who was walking determinedly towards him, Lupin and Tonks in tow.

"Listen," Harry said to the five. "I'm really sorry about what I did, but I'd rather wait until everyone is here before I explain myself. I really don't fancy repeating what happened more than once."

"Well, it's a good thing that Kingsley is having an Order meeting up in Dumbledore's old office then," Sirius said, putting an arm around Harry before guiding him out of the Great Hall.

They walked through the damaged halls in silence for a bit until Sirius spoke. "You don't happen to know the black-haired kid, who was running around during the battle? The one with super blue eyes, large ears, and amazingly fast spell work?"

Hermione's face scrunched, thinking while Harry answered. "I don't know who you are talking about."

"He looked about your age, maybe a few years older at the most. He strikes me as someone who isn't easily forgettable even if he wasn't in your year."

"It's weird, though, Sirius," Remus said. "I have no memory of him when I taught here a few years back. I would have definitely had him in class."

"Maybe he went to a different school," Ron offered.

"Well, whoever he is, I want to find him. He probably saved both mine and Remus' lives back there. He took down three Death Eaters like it was nothing, and then, he just raced off."

"That is something," Tonks said, looking impressed.

The group made their way into the office to find that it was cram packed with people. All the Weasleys were there as well as Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Slughorn, Sprout, and Flitwick. Kingsley, various Order members, and a few DA members, such as Neville and Luna, also filled the room. Everyone was sitting in chairs, talking among themselves, but they all fell silent when Harry entered the room.

Hagrid was the first to move when he stood and pulled Harry into a large hug. "I thought yer were dead, Harry," he sobbed.

"I'm really sorry about that, but I had to do it."

"You had to do it?!" Mrs. Weasley questioned, her cheeks tear stained. "Why, in Merlin's name, do you think you had to do that?"

"It's a bit of a long story."

"And one that I'm sure everyone here would like to hear," Kingsley said, conjuring up chairs for him and his friends to sit in. "Why don't you start from the beginning."

"Well, it starts a few years back." Harry then launched into the story about Voldemort's Horcruxes, shocking everyone at the number of them that he had created. The whole room was hanging on his every word as he recounted everything that happened during the past year he spent away for Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione all the way up to the battle. There were gasps of shock, cringes of horror, tears falling, and stares of disbelief as Harry spoke. There were a few interruptions, but they ceased after Harry told them that he would never get through the story if they continued asking questions while he tried to talk. When Harry got to Snape's death, too grew were sad. That was until Harry told them about his memories.

"When I watched Snape's memories," Harry said, "I found out that I was a Horcrux, one that Voldemort didn't intend to make."

"No," Mrs. Weasley choked out.

"Dumbledore knew this and knew that I had to be killed so that the Horcrux would die. Voldemort had to kill me. That is why I went out into the forest."

"Dumbledore knew the entire time?" Kingsley said, sounding a bit horrified. "But, if Voldemort killed you, how are you still here?"

Harry took a deep breath and told them about seeing Dumbledore after being hit with the killing curse.

"That is just mental," Ron said.

"There's something else also," Harry said.

"What is it?" Kingsley asked.

"It's about Snape, and..." Harry faltered, trying to come up with the best way to say what he wanted. He took a deep breath and told everyone about the rest of Snape's memories.

"You mean Snape was really on Dumbledore's side all this time?!" Harry was startled by McGonagall's outburst but quickly remembered their fight shortly before the battle.

"And Voldemort killed him for no reason. Snape wasn't the master of the wand because he was killing him on Dumbledore's own wishes. Draco was the true master after he disarmed Dumbledore, but since I disarmed Draco, I am now the master."

"I wish I had known about Snape. Then, I would have never..." McGonagall couldn't finish her sentence as she put her hand over her mouth, trying to force back tears.

"It's nice to know that you care for me, Minerva," a deep voice said from the back of the office.

Everyone whipped their heads around to see the potion's master emerge from the shadows of the back of the office, alive and well.

Harry jumped up in utter disbelief. "But how?"

"You should be asking  _him_  that," Snape replied, gesturing his head to his back left. Harry looked over and saw two more people that he hadn't noticed before. They were young and wearing muggle clothing. He saw that one of the two had fave black hair with large ears and came to the conclusion that this was who Sirius was asking about while the blond haired man seemed vaguely familiar, the black-haired one looked completely unfamiliar.

"Hey! You're the one who did that shield charm that saved me and Percy," Fred said. "You brought Snape back to life as well?"

The black-haired boy shook his head. "No, that was all Alden who helped Snape," he said, pointing to the blond guy next to him.

"And, Snape wasn't dead. He was still alive," Alden said.

"That still must have been quite a powerful spell," Kingsley said.

"Could have killed him," Harry heard the black-haired guy mumble, exasperated.

"I admit that it was a powerful spell and one that I probably shouldn't have used for it nearly left me unconscious, but it was the only way I could think to save him."

Harry got the feeling that he was talking more to the other guy more than the Order.

"No offense to Snape or anything, but why did you save him?" Ron asked, earning a glare from both Snape and his mother.

"Michael and I knew Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusted Snape, and I trusted Dumbledore." The black-haired guy, Michael, nodded his head along to what Alden said.

"You knew Dumbledore," Harry questioned. He was suspicious of the two.

"Yes, we did," Michael answered.

"How come he never mentioned you before," Harry asked. One glance at Kingsley's face told him that he was wondering the same thing.

"Well, it seems obvious that Dumbledore doesn't tell everyone everything. Just look at Snape," Hermione said, giving Michael and Alden a strange look while they both smiled at the answer.

Kingsley seemed to have decided that it was time to reassert control over the conversation. "While I believe that all of us here are interested in both of your stories, we have more pressing matters at hand. Why did Voldemort and his Death Eaters suddenly leave?"

"I believe these two have the answer to that as well," Snape drawled out staring at Alden and Michael.

* * *

Merlin's insides froze. He was never comfortable being at the center of attention with a large group like the one before him. He always preferred to be the person that worked behind the scenes. Back in Camelot, Merlin was able to do that quite easily. He was able to accomplish many things and save Arthur's life frequently without anyone ever knowing. Sure, at times he resented the fact that he never got credit for any of the things he did, but to be honest, Merlin felt more secure in the shadows. Arthur, on the other hand, was used to being at the center of attention since he was a King once. He always had an uncanny ability to remain calm in front of so many people. And so, to Merlin's relief, it was Arthur who stepped up and answered.

"They left because the Death Eaters found what Voldemort was looking for. They also realized that the battle wasn't in their favor anymore, so they retreated with their prize. It was a strategic retreat rather than an abandonment."

"What do you mean they found what they were looking for? I wasn't under the impression that they were searching for something, so how did you come across this information?" Kingsley asked.

"We didn't really know right away, but we deduced it when we noticed some Death Eaters running around looking rather than fighting. Our theory was confirmed when Michael followed some of them up into this room and questioned them."

"So what is it that they were looking for?" Kingsley asked, seeming to not notice the fact that Merlin had handled himself against multiple Death Eaters alone.

"It was a crystal."

"Voldemort went to all of this trouble just to look for a crystal?" he scoffed.

"It's not an ordinary crystal. It's a crystal that was taken from the Crystal Caves. The crystal can, well, Michael?"

Merlin took a deep breath to get his nerves under control, making sure that he in no way outwardly conveyed what he felt on the inside.

"Crystals from the Crystal Caves are instruments of very powerful magic. They are of the Old Religion. Certain people — powerful people — have the ability to use it to gain knowledge on what is, what has been, and what is yet to be," Merlin said, remembering the words of his old friend, Kilgharrah.

"So, it's like a crystal ball but not just for the future?" Hermione said.

"Not really. This kind of crystal is way more exact. It can show the user what is going to happen exactly, even down to the last detail." Old memories of when he himself looked into the crystals flooded his mind before he forcibly shoved them away.

"So, Voldemort is going to use this crystal to change the future?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort could do much more than that with the crystal, but he isn't powerful enough to use it."

"How is Voldemort not powerful enough? He is the most powerful Dark Wizard out there," Harry said.

"The crystals are of Old Religion magic — the magic that the Druids used which is incredibly more powerful than magic now. And, they were only a few people back then that were powerful enough to use the crystal. I don't think anyone alive today can use the crystal," Merlin said half lying. Sure he himself could use the crystal, but they didn't need to know that. It would just cause too many questions that Merlin couldn't answer without them figuring out that he is not who he said he was.

"So, it's useless to him?" Kingsley asked.

"As long as he can't find anyone able to use it, then yes," Arthur said.

"What is he raises someone from the dead people that can use the crystal? Voldemort himself practically came back from the dead. What's stopping him from doing that to someone else?" Neville asked.

Merlin feared that as well. Voldemort has shown himself to be well versed in dark magic. There was no way of telling if Voldemort found a way to do exactly that. And, if he succeeded in doing it, who would be the one he would raise?

After a few minutes of silence as everyone thought about Neville's words, Hermione spoke. "How do you know so much about the crystals?"

"From our, uh, Uncle," Arthur said quickly. Merlin guessed that Arthur was thinking along the same lines as himself and was momentarily thrown off by her question.

"Yeah, he was like a walking encyclopedia. And if he didn't know it himself, he was bound to have a book on it," Merlin added, giving time for Arthur to regain himself.

"You two are brothers?" Kingsley said at the same time as Mrs. Weasley questioned the 'was' part of what Merlin said.

"No, we are cousins. Gaius was the uncle of both of us, though. And, he passed away not too long ago," Arthur said, sticking to the story he and Merlin came up with beforehand. They tried to stick to their real life as closely as possible but made it so it would be less questionable.

"What about your parents?" Mrs. Weasley asked next.

"They are no longer here either," Arthur said. "My mom died giving birth to me. My father couldn't cope with her loss, so he passed on a few years after. I then went to live with Michael and his mother."

"My father left when I was little," Merlin said, picking up the story," but my mother raised both me and Alden. She contracted an illness and passed away about five years ago. Gaius took us bot in until he, well, you know."

"You poor boys," Mrs. Weasley said, tears springing up in her eyes.

"Did you attend Hogwarts?" Lupin questioned.

"We did not," Arthur answered. "We moved around quite frequently, so we were homeschooled."

"Well, I think that is enough for one night," Kingsley said, interrupting what, to Merlin, seemed like an interrogation. "Everyone is welcome to rest up here and then help with the efforts of cleaning up tomorrow. I am going to head to the Ministry to see what I can do to help there."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, no one argued. Slowly, they began to file out of the office, many of whom finally felt the exhaustion that was creeping up just to consume them. The younger ones separated themselves from the adults and headed towards the Gryffindor tower. Merlin was surprised when Harry told him and Arthur that they could come too and graciously accepted. Merlin got the feeling that Harry didn't fully trust him and Arthur, and he hoped that he could change that. Once there, each person collapsed into the first bed he or she could find and went straight to sleep. That was everyone except Merlin and Arthur.

"I think that went well," Arthur whispered.

"I don't think that they trust us, though," Merlin whispered back. "Not completely, anyhow."

"Would you in their position?"

Merlin didn't respond, seeing Arthur's point.

"Just give it time. We need to worry more about Voldemort."

"Do you think what Neville said was right? That he may be able to raise someone from the dead, who has the ability to use the crystal?"

Arthur sighed. "I've seen a lot of things in my long life. It would not surprise me if he knew such a way. I just fear who it is he will decided to bring back."

Only one name popped into Merlin's mind: Morgana.

Merlin curled up into the covers, imagining what would happen if Morgana did come back. Nothing good could ever come with it. Eventually, Merlin's exhaustion took over, sending him into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Merlin was the first one to awaken. Unsure of what else to do he headed down to the common room to sit on one of the plush red sofas. He sat there for a while just thinking. Being in the Gryffindor common room surrounded by stone and all things red, he couldn't help but be reminded of Camelot. He missed everyone from there. He missed Gaius, Gwen, and all of the knights. He would even go as far as saying that he missed the head cook of Camelot, Audrey, who would always make a fuss every time she saw Merlin.

 _It's not good to dwell on the past,_ Merlin chided himself. He wasn't completely alone; he had Arthur. Merlin wasn't sure if it would have been possible for himself to stay sane after this long if he had to be alone. They kept each other from losing it. Sure, they both had their ups and downs over the past millennium, but they grew even closer than they were back in Camelot. There were no secrets between them. They worked so flawlessly together and knew so much about one another that keeping secrets between wasn't even a thought anymore. They still maintained a similar relationship as they had in Camelot with their constant playful banter, brotherly love, and willingness to protect one another no matter the cost.

Merlin shook his head, smiling and letting his mind go blank as he left the happiness of still having Arthur around wash over him. He sat there not moving, for quite some time before a noise drew him back into the physical world. He turned around to see Hermione's tired eyes.

"Are you having trouble sleeping as well?" she asked.

"No, I am usually a pretty early riser. It's been a habit that I have never really gotten rid of."  _And, I've had it since Camelot._ "Are you having troubles?"

"It's... complicated," she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Well then, why don't you sit down and tell me about it? Maybe you'll feel better afterward. I'm a good listener."

Hermione hesitated, seeming at war with herself. After a few seconds, she gave in and sat down next to Merlin on the couch. Merlin smiled a little on the inside. He was pretty sure that when she hesitated, she was trying to determine if she trusted him enough to divulge what was troubling her. Since she sat down and was apparently about to tell him, she either trusted him enough or was just desperate to get it off her chest. He was hoping for the former but suspected the latter was truer. Either way, it could help start a form of trust between them.

Hermione took a deep breath before she began talking. "Well, you see, I should be sleeping fine right now. I spent almost an entire year on the run and sleeping in a tent. Now, I'm back at Hogwarts. Things have settled for now, and Hogwarts is like home to me, but..." Hermione let her sentence hang as she stared down at her shoes.

"But, it reminds you of your other home. The one with your parents," Merlin guessed.

Hermione nodded her head 'yes', not looking up from her shoes.

"Well, that makes sense. You haven't been home or seen your parents in a long time. Trust me, I know how agonizing that feels. Why don't you go visit them now that you're not on the run anymore?"

"I can't. They're not there anymore. They've..."

"They're not dead, are they?" Merlin mentally kicked himself for how blunt he asked that.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes watery and a bit shocked. "No, they're not dead. They are very much alive. It's just that, I sent them away, and they don't remember me." The last words were almost inaudible, but Merlin heard them all the same.

"What do you mean that they don't remember you? You didn't..."

Hermione curled in on herself. "I had to keep them safe. I couldn't risk Voldemort finding them and hurting them in order to try to get to me or Harry."

"So, you obliviated their memories of you and sent them to live somewhere else."

"Yes," Hermione said timidly, looking back at her shoes, tears threatening to spill any second.

Merlin thought about it and how much it must have hurt her to have done that but knowing it was the best way to keep them safe. He understood why she did it and how it must be tearing her apart inside. While on the run, she probably could have easily distracted herself from those feelings. But now that she was surrounded by friends and the feeling of home, she could no longer just push it away.

"It's okay," Merlin said, comfortingly. Hermione looked up at him. "You did the right thing, keeping them safe. When this is all over, you can find them and undo the spell."

"What if they get extremely mad at me when they find out what I've done?" How could they forgive me?"

"Because," Merlin said slowly, "they are your parents. They're going to love you no matter what. A parent's love is unconditional. Sure, they might get upset a first, but, in time, they will understand and forgive you."

"You think?" she asked, hope drifting into her eyes.

"I do." And, Merlin believed in what he said. Even with all of the trouble Merlin caused when he was younger, his mother never loved him any less because of it. His father barely knew Merlin but loved him enough to die protecting him. Even Uther's love for Arthur was undeniable.

"Thank you, Michael," Hermione said, wrapping him in a quick hug.

"I told you that you would feel better," Merlin said with his signature goofy smile to lighten the mood.

Hermione let out a small laugh "I should have never doubted you.":

Merlin's smile grew even bigger. It seemed as though Merlin was now in Hermione's good graces.  _Hopefully, I can keep it that way._

There weren't alone for much longer as Harry came down the steps. "There you both are! Pretty much everyone else is up, and we were thinking about trying the Great Hall the get some food."

"That sounds like a good plan. Who isn't up yet?" Hermione asked.

"Your cousin," Harry said, looking at Merlin. "We tried to wake him up, but he's dead to the world. Should we keep trying?"

"Nah," Merlin said, waving him off. "He's probably going to be out for quite some time. That prat over-extended himself yesterday."

Harry gave Merlin a strange look before saying that he was going to tell everyone to come down and disappeared up the stairs. Merlin cast a sideways glance at Hermione. She seemed to regain some of her suspicion but not as much as Harry. Merlin shrugged it off for the time being and focused on the grumbling of his stomach and the prospect of food. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.

People slowly trickled down the stairs and into the common room. Once everyone, minus Arthur, was there, they all climbed out of the portrait hole and headed towards the Great Hall in hopes of food.

* * *

Harry walked in silence to the Great Hall while everyone around him chatted away. He couldn't help but think of everything that happened the night before in these halls he was walking through. He couldn't help but question who caused what pile of rubble and who died where? It was almost too overwhelming for him to stay inside the castle, but he trotted on anyway.

As Harry entered the Great Hall, he was markedly surprised at how normal it looked. He figured that many people must have been working nonstop to clean it up. The hall wasn't nearly up to its usual condition but looked much better than it did the last time Harry saw it.

Ron was the first one to spot the food covering the only clean tables in the hall — the teacher's tables. Harry felt a bit uncomfortable sitting up at the tables, but the access to food quickly diminished the feeling. Harry was starving. He hadn't eaten in quite some time, and the fact that he spent hours the night before in an intense magical battle only amplified his hunger. He didn't appear to be the hungriest, though, as he eyed Ron stuffing his face, barely giving himself time to chew and swallow before he shoved more in. Harry silently laughed to himself as he saw Ron's eating get a look of disapproval from Hermione.

Harry soon spotted Lupin making his way towards the group.

"Glad to see that you all are up," Lupin said. "Are you all feeling alright?" Harry nodded yes along with the others.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Harry asked.

"Do we get to help clean up Hogwarts?" Ginny chimed in.

"Well, tomorrow we are all going to head over to the Grimmauld Place. There is going to be another Order meeting there soon. Most everyone has been working to get the ministry back up and running without the influence of Voldemort. And before you ask, yes, you will all be allowed to attend. We have decided that in light of the previous events, every single one of you has earned the right to be there including both Michael and Alden. Where is Alden, by the way?"

"He is still asleep, sir. And thank you for allowing us to join," Michael said.

"You are very welcome, and no more with the 'sir''. You can call me Remus."

Michael nodded his head.

"Anyway," Lupin continued," since you all will be here today and seem willing to help, I do believe there is a task in which you all can aid in."

"What is it?" Ginny said, excitedly.

"All of you follow me, if you will."

Ron moaned grumpily and stared longingly at the rest of the food on his plate before getting up with the rest of the group to follow Lupin. Any excitement about the fact of helping out quickly faded away when Lupin led them into the library.

"We're going to clean up the library?" Ron complained.

"There isn't much damage to the castle itself in here, but many bookshelves were knocked over and broken," Lupin explained. "All you need to do is fix the shelves and re-shelve the books by hand. It shouldn't be too hard. Good luck!" Lupin nearly sprinted out of the library, leaving them to work.

"Of course, they give us the most boring and unimportant job," Ron huffed.

"Ronald! How can you call the library unimportant?" Hermione scolded him.

Ron's ears turned bright red, and he bent down to begin picking up the books that scattered haphazardly across the floor.

By lunchtime, all of the bookshelves were fixed and they had begun to place the books on the shelves where they belonged. Ron, always being the one to think about food, suggested that they should go to the Great Hall for lunch, and some others were quick to agree.

There were a few more people in the Great Hall when they walked in compared to when they came for breakfast. It looked as though people just came and went freely, grabbing some food before heading back out to work on repairs.

The group of Harry and his friends all sat down and tucked in to eat once again at the teacher's tables. It wasn't until near the end of the meal that Harry noticed that someone was missing. "Where is Michael?"

Others looked around confused as if they also didn't realize his absence. It was Neville who answered. "He told me he wasn't hungry, so he was going to get some fresh air outside."

Harry pushed back his nearly empty plate and stood up. "I'm going to go check on him."

Harry walked away quickly before anyone could question him. Harry didn't really trust either of the cousins. Their timing of revealing themselves just seemed a bit too suspicious for his liking, and they both seemed off.

After some walking, Harry found Michael laying down by the Black Lake. Michael's hands rested underneath his head, his closed eyes directed towards the sky. Michael appeared to be pretty relaxed in the soft grass.

"Beautiful day out, isn't it?" Michael said with his eyes still closed as Harry walked up to him.

Harry, slightly unsettled about how Michael knew he was there, looked up at the clear blue sky. It was warmer outside than usual, but the breeze felt cool on Harry's face. It felt surreal, though. Hours ago, this place was a war zone, but now it was tranquil.

"Yes, it is," Harry finally said.

"Well," Michael said, hopping up. "I guess we better get going."

"Huh?" Harry was confused, his mind being pulled back into the present.

"You came out here to get me, right? We have to go back to work," Merlin said, a goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, yeah. We should probably get back to the library."

Walking back towards the castle, Harry couldn't help but to constantly cast sideways glances at Michael beside him. He seemed at ease and the traces of his previous smile lingered on his face. He looked perfectly nice.  _Maybe I was wrong about him,_ Harry thought, He was beginning to have a hard time picturing Michael working for Voldemort. He kept his suspicions, though. Even if they both were good, there was still something off.

The rest of the day was uneventful. they finished shelving the last of the books before heading back to the Great Hall for dinner. The hall was packed now with many of the people who stayed and helped clean up for the day. After dinner, it was back up to the Gryffindor tower to sleep.

Walking into the room, Harry looked over to the bed that Alden still occupied and snorted at the sight of the sleeping figure.

"Merlin! He hasn't even moved at all since this morning," Ron remarked rather loudly as he entered the room behind Harry.

Michael, who was already in the room and making his way over to his own bed, whipped his head around super-fast and stared at Ron. "What did you say?" Michael said rather alarmed.

"Whoa, calm down," Ron said, putting his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I just meant that it's pretty impressive that Alden has slept so much."

"Oh," Michael said. "Right. You didn't mean... never mind. I'll just go to bed." And with that, Michael jumped into bed, burying himself under the covers.

Ron stared at Michael's still form with a bewildered look on his face before turning towards Harry and mouthing, 'what was that about.' Harry could only shrug. He too was confused, but he decided to let the matter drop. He was too tired to think about anything other than his comfy bed. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep once he climbed into it.

* * *

Merlin was the first one up again. Instead of walking down to the common room like the day before, he decided to sit by the window next to his bed and watch the sunrise. He quietly laughed at himself as he remembered his dislike for being up this early when he was back in Camelot. Now, Merlin actually liked being up before the rest of the world. He liked seeing a new day begin, one where things could change for the better.

Soon, one by one, everyone else began to wake and get ready for the day. Once again, the only person to still be asleep was Arthur.

"Is he alright?" Ron asked.

"Oh, he's fine. I'll take care of him."

Merlin walked over to Arthur and gently shook him. "Alden, wake up."

Arthur gave no response.

"Get up, clotpole," Merlin said louder, shaking harder.

Arthur mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, away from Merlin.

"Fine," Merlin said, taking his wand out of his pocket. He quickly conjured a large cup of water before stowing his wand back away. He then proceeded to slowly pour the water all over Arthur's head.

Arthur's eyes shot open as he jumped up to his feet. "Merlin! What was that for?!"

"Oh, good, you're awake,  _Alden_. We were all just about to go down to breakfast. Want to join?" Merlin's face showed a cheeky smile, but his insides froze solid once Arthur said 'Merlin'. He strongly hoped that no one took notice of it.  _People did swear by my name like that nowadays,_  he reasoned to , no one seemed to react to it, but Merlin took special note to remind Arthur to be careful of future slip-ups.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Merlin, and if looks could kill, Merlin was sure that he would be incinerated on the spot.

"Let's have you, lazy daisy," Merlin practically shouted, making a beeline towards the door before Arthur could do anything to him. Merlin was almost to the threshold of the door when he was hit in the back by the metal cup that he conjured up to pour water on his head. With a laugh, he scurried down to the common room to wait, reminiscing about all of the times he'd woken Arthur up in Camelot only to have things thrown at him.

It didn't take long for Arthur and the rest of them to come down. Arthur held Merlin back while everyone began to make their way out the portrait hole to go to breakfast. When they were the last, Arthur gave Merlin swift whack to the back of the head before jogging to catch up to the others.

"That was for the water," he shouted over his shoulder.

Merlin took a second, rubbing the back of his head, a smile slowly stretching across his face, before following.

They made it to the Great Hall in good time, and Merlin was surprised to find it bursting with activity. It seemed that many more people had come to work on cleaning up and restoring the castle. The four house tables were back in use, and people were scattered in groups across them. Some were eating the abundance of food laid out on the tables while others were either discussing the plans for repairs or just chatting away with the other workers and volunteers.

The twelve of them found an empty spot on one of the tables big enough to accommodate for all of them and dug into the food. Merlin silently laughed to himself when he noticed Arthur was eating food at such a rate that it rivaled Ron. Apparently, Merlin wasn't the only one who noticed. He saw Hermione as she looked back and forth between Ron and Arthur before rolling her eyes.

"Arthur, I think you should slow down," Merlin said.

"But, I'm so hungry," Arthur replied, mouth full.

"Of course you are hungry. You just about emptied all of your magical energy and then went over twenty-four hours asleep, without food. But, you're going to make yourself sick if you continue like this."

Arthur begrudgingly took Merlin's advice and slowed down enough to properly chew his food before swallowing and not taking such huge bites.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley entered the hall and walked over.

"See, I told you that they would be here," Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley.

"I should have never doubted you," he said in return before addressing the group. "Okay. Here is how today is going to happen. The wards are back up, so we are all going to have to walk down to Hogsmeade. Luna and Neville, we have made arrangements for your father, Luna, and your grandmother, Neville, to meet us there so you can go home with them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you three can go with Sirius and apparate to the Grimmauld Place. Ginny, we will use the floo to get back to the Burrow."

"Why can't I go with Harry and them," she asked.

"Don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said. "You will see them soon enough. Your father and I just think that it would be best for you to come home first."

Although Ginny still seemed unhappy, she nodded her head in agreement. Merlin guessed that Mrs. Weasley wanted Ginny back in the safety of their home for a while since she almost lost her in the battle thanks to Bellatrix and her other children were too old for her to force as well.

An hour later, all of them, minus two and plus Sirius, were walking down to Hogsmeade. Fred and George left earlier to go to their shop and work on opening it back up. Merlin smiled as they passed through the wards. Yesterday during lunch time and before Harry came to find him, Merlin came out here to put some of his own wards up and tweak a few of the ones that were already in place. It seemed that the first things of Hogwarts to be fixed were the wards, and they were done well. After Merlin's additions, there was no way in hell that Voldemort could do the same stunt he did before the battle and break through the wards again.

When they arrived in Hogsmeade, they were greeted by a man with long, white hair and a stern looking, older woman. Luna and Neville joined their respected guardians before saying their goodbyes and parting ways. After they left, Mrs. Weasley started another round of goodbyes and gave each of them a large hug, even giving one to Merlin and Arthur. Once they parted ways as well, Sirius turned to them, taking out his wand.

"Can all of you apparate?" he asked. Everyone except Ron nodded a yes.

"I can use a side-along apparition and take you," Hermione suggested to Ron to which he agreed.

"We will be apparating outside of Grimmauld Place," Sirius said.

Less than a minute later, the six of them stood on the street in London. Sirius pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Merlin.

"I need you and Alden to read this and think about it very hard."

Merlin complied and wasn't too surprised when he looked up and was able to see a new flat appear. Although he couldn't see the part of the building before, he easily sensed the magic of the charm that kept it hidden.

"Fidelius Charm. Nice," Merlin said.

"You're familiar with them?" Sirius asked.

"The charm has grown quite popular in the last few years."

"It's a good way to keep safe in these dangerous times," he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
> 
> More to come soon.
> 
> SuperSherlockedGallifreyan


	3. Surreal Calm

Days flew by and the summer weeks began to blur together for Merlin. Not to say that life at the Grimmauld Place wasn't... interesting, but all known activity from Voldemort and his followers ceased. Many of the known Death Eaters disappeared, even those who were positioned in places of power within the Ministry. Those who didn't were arrested by the Aurors that Kingsley lead after he assumed the position of Minister of Magic. Diagon Alley and other popular wizarding places were once again safe to travel to. A weird sense of calm settled, not that people didn't remain on edge. If anything, it made people more nervous.

The once weekly Order of the Phoenix meetings that everyone, including Merlin and Arthur, were allowed to attend quickly became more spaced apart since there wasn't any dark movement. It was as if Voldemort and the Death Eaters dropped off the face of the Earth. Kingsley and the others took this as a bad sign. Merlin couldn't help but agree with them. Whatever that was going to happen wouldn't be good. He could feel a storm brewing on the horizon.

The Order meetings consisted mostly of gathering resources and preparing for any potential threat from Voldemort. Both Merlin and Arthur contributed little during the meetings and just sat back to watch. While they were alone, however, they prepared themselves. they woke up early almost every morning to train. They had already been training before the Battle of Hogwarts, but since there was a likely threat of someone with old magic rising, they ramped it up. They brushed up on both their old and new magic, so they would be ready to handle anything.

Merlin had been in quite a few magical fights involving old magic, but not in a long time. Arthur, on the other hand, had hardly been in any at all. So they studied, practiced, and perfected as much as they could. Arthur, being the knight he was even after all this time, insisted on also training without magic. Merlin, who was inept with a sword back in Camelot, could now wield a sword as good as Arthur himself. Hand-to-hand combat still always proved to be in Arthur's favor, though, Merlin may have gained more muscle mass over the centuries, he was no match to Arthur. The former Kings was buff, Merlin was a stick with some muscles on it.

During the day, Merlin and Arthur primarily kept to themselves. Most of the time when they talked to the other members of the house, they were getting asked too many questions about their past, so they tried to keep away. They also did this because, after spending a long time living with just one other person, it takes some time to get used to constantly being around lots of other people. But, Merlin was slowly getting used to having more than Arthur around.

In order to keep busy and give an excuse to be away from the others, Merlin made it his personal mission to deep clean the flat. Even with the cleaning that was done the other year by the others, it was still dark and depressing. Merlin sympathized with Sirius, who had to live here. So, over the course of quite a few weeks, Merlin made the place shine, one room at a time.

"Hey, Michael and Alden, are you two in here?" Ginny asked, walking into the library. She had been staying at the Grimmauld Place for about two weeks now.

Merlin turned around from the bookshelf that he had been organizing. "Right here," he said.

"Same," Arthur called out from further back in the room.

"We're getting ready for another Order meeting right now. People should be showing up soon, if you want to come down," Ginny said.

"We'll be down in a bit," Merlin smiled at her.

Ginny nodded once before leaving. Arthur strolled into view, a strange object in his hands.

"Do you think that anything useful will come from this meeting?" Arthur said, not looking up from the object he was tinkering with.

"Only one way to find out," Merlin said with a cheeky grin before making his way out of the room.

Arthur was right behind him when Merlin made it to the kitchen where the meetings usually took place. They silently slid into a pair of free seats next to the Golden Trio. People slowly began popping in and taking their seats as well. Not everyone showed up to every meeting, but there were a few members who were frequently present. McGonagall came in along with Snape. Lupin and Tonks took their usual seating next to Sirius. Arthur and Molly Weasley were also present, but this time without the twins. there were also many other members that filed in. Merlin didn't know everyone's name, but he recognized a few others. Luna and Neville were notedly absent this time. The two usually showed up even if it was only to see Harry and the others.

The meeting started off, as usual, compiling a list of the people what had pledged their allegiance to the order since the last meeting was held. There were reviews of defense plans for various locations and discussions of the ever-present wild theories of what Voldemort was planning. Merlin didn't really pay attention to much of what everyone was saying. He did, however, pay attention to Snape, who was not too subtly studying Merlin himself. Merlin felt a bit unsettled by this, though, he made sure not to show it. Snape reminded him of Agravaine. Although there were vast differences between the two, there were also many similarities. He trusted Snape, but he wasn't particularly fond of the man himself.

The meeting slowly wound down and some members began to leave. Ron stood up to follow suit only to be stopped by McGonagall.

"I need you and the others to remain seated, Mr. Weasley. I have a few things to discuss with you lot," she said briskly.

After a few minutes, all who remained in the kitchen were Merlin and Arthur along with the trio, Ron's parents and Ginny, McGonagall, Snape, and, of course, the owner of the kitchen, Sirius.

"Now," Professor McGonagall began. "In light of the events that happened during the past school year, Hogwarts has decided to allow anyone who wishes a redo of their seventh year to come back. Since you three, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, didn't attend last year at all, we strongly encourage you to come back to complete your education."

"No offense or anything, Professor, but you can't be serious? Going back to school while Voldemort is still out there? We would be more useful here," Harry argued.

"Don't be foolish," Snape said. "You all are just sitting around here. Also, not only will you be better protected at Hogwarts, finishing your education will be beneficial to you since you will be acquiring more knowledge over spells and other things that just may potentially save your life."

"He has a point, Harry," Hermione said.

"Oh, no. Not you too, 'Mione," Ron complained.

"Shut up, Ronald," she said, giving Ron a hard wack on the arm. "Just because you don't particularly like school doesn't mean the logic of going back isn't there."

"If it influences your decision any," McGonagall cut in, "you should know that I have already spoken to Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Lovegood. They both are going to be returning as well as some others from your class. Also, I have made an agreement with them that they may also start the DA back up and have it as a school recognized club for anyone who wishes to join."

"I'll come back," Hermione said.

Ron seemed to wilt under the pressure of the stares he was getting from not only his parents, but from Ginny and Hermione as well, and agreed to come back. Now the only person who was left was Harry. Merlin watched Harry look to Sirius.

"I think you should go," Sirius said, firmly.

"Alright," Harry said. "I'll go but only under the condition that all of us still get to attend every meeting and are kept in the loop about what is happening."

"I was planning on letting you do that anyway," McGonagall said with a smile.

Harry nodded his head. Merlin could tell that Harry wasn't particularly ecstatic about having to go back to school, but Merlin was happy that he was.

"Um, what about Alden and Michael?" Ginny asked.

"I was just about to get to that," the professor said to her before focusing on Merlin and Arthur. "You two will also be allowed to come to Hogwarts this year."

On the inside, Merlin leaped with joy. This was just what he wanted to hear. Staying at Hogwarts with Harry would be the best way to protect him as well as give Merlin enough space to work without it being too suspicious. Right now, though, he needed to make it seem like he wasn't too eager to join the others at school in order to not draw suspicion that way either.

"Aren't Alden and I kinda too old to go?" Merlin said, putting a confused look on his face.

"That is true, but there will be others who are technically too old as well since students are repeating a year. Also, I was under the impression that neither of you have had any formal education, so I thought this would be very helpful to you both."

Merlin nodded his head and looked at Arthur. Arthur then turned to McGonagall and told her that they would both be happy to attend.

With a promise that the six of them would receive their letters shortly, both McGonagall and Snape left. Merlin stood up and went back to the library to continue his cleaning, his mind buzzing with all of the things he would have to do in preparation for going to Hogwarts. Arthur entered the room, and one look at his face told Merlin that he too was pleased with the outcome of the meeting. With a smile, Merlin went back to organizing the bookshelf that he had previously been working on while Arthur went back to toying with any interesting object he could find.

* * *

Sirius sat at the head of his empty kitchen table drumming his fingers on the polished wood. He had been sitting there for twenty minutes now and was quickly growing impatient. Another quick glance at the clock told him that his guests were indeed late. He huffed in annoyance. Sirius was never fond of waiting around. The sound of the front door opening and closing caused a small smile to cross his face. e quickly got rid of it and put his face of annoyance back on when his five guests entered the kitchen.

"You're late."

"We just wanted to make sure that everyone was truly gone before we got here," Kingsley replied.

"As you very well know, his wife," Sirius said, gesturing to Arthur Weasley," took everyone to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies and visit Fred and George's shop. That was an hour ago."

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus said. "We're here now."

"Well then, why doesn't everyone sit down so we can finish this before they get back."

The five took that as their cue to move towards the table and take their seats. Lupin took the seat to the right of his best friend. McGonagall sat in between Lupin and Arthur and across from Kingsley and Snape.

"So, the boys, Michael and Alden," Kingsley began. "I haven't been able to dig up any information on them at the ministry. They aren't in any records that I can find."

"They did say they traveled around quite a bit and never really said if they lived in Great Britain," Remus said.

"That is true," Kingsley said. "What have they been up to here so far, Sirius? Do you think they can be trusted?"

"Well, I am sure that you have no doubt noticed what they have been doing here, and I must say that I cannot remember this place ever looking so nice."

Sirius meant what he said, and he was beyond pleased at the cleanliness of his old family home. To him, it didn't even feel like the house that he grew up in. The place was unrecognizable from what it once was.

He was confused when Michael approached him earlier in the summer, asking permission to clean his flat but soon rationalized that the boy was just looking for something to do with his time. Sirius was beyond glad that he told Michael yes. Having a clean, slightly redecorated, and brighter home, in turn, made Sirius himself feel better.

"All they have been doing is cleaning?" Snape asked, skeptically.

"Michael is the one who really does the cleaning. Alden just plays with whatever he can find that holds his interest, and there are a lot of interesting things in the Black family collection. This Michael kid is something really special, though. I've never seen someone clean the way he does. He is also adept at getting rid of dark objects and curses. I don't suppose you noticed the lack of my mother's portrait on the wall when you came in."

"I thought that was permanently stuck there," Remus said.

"Apparently, he found a way around that."

"It appears they are both capable of doing the impossible," Snape mumbled.

"Is there anything else?" Kingsley asked.

"Other than their secret workouts every morning, they haven't done anything suspicious as far as I can tell."

"What do you do you mean about their secret workouts?" Lupin asked, confusion written all across his face.

"I've only noticed this recently since I am usually never up that early, but before sunrise every morning, the two wake up and lock themselves in the drawing room. I'm only guessing that they are doing some sort of physical exercise because I can never unlock the door to walk in, and they soundproofed the room. They stay in there for a few hours doing whatever it is that they do, and, when they come out, they are covered in sweat. Usually, after that, they go to the bathroom and take turns using the shower. So, I don't really know what they are doing, but I assume that they are working out."

"Well, it's no crime to stay in shape, but something about that just doesn't really set right with me," Kingsley said.

"They could be practicing spells and dueling," Weasley suggested. "There is a war going on, and from what I've heard about their spell work during the Battle of Hogwarts, they must have already done some serious training to get that good, especially at their age."

"That could be very true," McGonagall said.

"Regardless of that, do you think that we can trust them, Sirius?"

"I do," he said with conviction.

Sirius did believe that they could be trusted. He wasn't completely sure why, to be honest. But form his observations of them, they seemed like decent people. He just hoped that it was true.

"I still think that we should keep a close eye on them," Snape said.

"Well, they are going to be at Hogwarts soon, so you and Minerva can keep tabs on them, if you would like," Kingsley suggested. "you are going back to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, am I correct?"

"I am," Snape drawled.

"I will be busy with Headmistress duties, but I see no reason why I can't take some time to watch over them," McGonagall said.

"Then it is settled," Kingsley said, standing up. "We'll continue to give them full access to the Order of the Phoenix meetings and everything, but we will also keep a close eye on them. Just make sure neither of them notices either of you watching them."

Both Snape and McGonagall nodded.

"The kids should be back from shopping soon, and I am sure that everyone here has things that they need to get done themselves. I shall see you all at the next Order meeting." With that, Kingsley strode out of the room. The others soon followed after, saying their goodbyes, or in Snape's case, just stalking out without another word. Lupin held back, and soon he and Sirius were the only ones left in the room.

"You like both of them, hum?"

"What reason do I have to not, Moony? They saved our lives during the Battle. Hell! Look what they did to this place! It's amazing, and I am not one to be easily impressed, you know that. both of the boys have manners unlike that I have ever seen of others their age. And, from what I have seen, Harry and the others have no qualms about them. I know that these are dark times, and we should be wary of anybody let alone two people who showed up under mysterious circumstances, but I don't believe either of them have a dark bone in their body. What do you think?"

"I think that you are right in that neither of them are on the dark side, Padfoot, but I do think that they aren't telling everybody the whole truth as to why they are here."

"Yeah..." Sirius could see his friend's point.

"I don't see any harm in Snape and McGonagall keeping an eye on Michael and Alden while they are at school."

"I suppose..."

"Anyway, I should get going."

Sirius nodded, and Remus walked out of the kitchen, leaving him alone with his thoughts again.

* * *

Arthur, for once, wasn't bored. So far, the summer had been nothing but boring. With not much to do but sit around, Arthur could only try to entertain himself. His entertainment usually consisted of playing with the various unusual objects he found while Merlin was cleaning. Arthur didn't dare clean himself. He didn't like it and couldn't understand why Merlin did, especially since he constantly complained every time he had to clean while back in Camelot.

The only thing that kept Arthur sane throughout the summer was the training that he and Merlin did each morning. He was very impressed with Merlin's skill with a sword, and he enjoyed constantly beating Merlin in hand-to-hand fighting. Although, to be fair, Merlin still beat him every time during a magical duel.

Right now, though, was even better than their morning training sessions. Arthur was in Diagon Alley. He always loved the area. He and Merlin had lived many different places all over England and beyond, but Diagon Alley was a place they kept coming back to. Arthur wasn't sure why he liked it so much, but it didn't change the fact that he did.

The day went rather quickly for Arthur, and he enjoyed every minute of it. Everyone split up into groups to make the shopping go quicker, so he and Merlin paired up and went off on their own. They moved from store to store, buying their needed supplies and reminiscing the various times when they lived here. The last time they stayed here, they owned the bookshop that was now known as Whizz Hard Books. They took extra time while in the bookstore just to look it over and see all the changes that occurred to it since their ownership about a century ago.

It was also interesting to see the other changes to Diagon Alley. There were new stores that replaced ones that were there before. Some remodeling was done, and there were many new repairs no doubt due to the damage that the Death Eaters inflicted not too long ago. Despite all that, Diagon Alley remained essentially the same, and that made Arthur smile warmly.

The shopping trip ended with everyone meeting back up to visit the Weasley twin's joke shop. Arthur was surprised at how much business the store had, but he figured people just needed something to take their mind off of the dangers that were prevalent at the time. He couldn't blame them. Sometimes during the darkest hours, a good joke and some happiness was what you needed the most. Arthur didn't end up buying anything at the joke shop, but he did have fun touring it and talking with Fred and George, who seemed to be doing well despite the previous events.

When everyone was done with their shopping and visiting with the twins, Arthur, Merlin, and the Golden Trio apparated back to the Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny went back to the Burrow with a promise to be over bright and early the next morning.

Dinner was sort of uncomfortable for Arthur later that night, though. Sirius seemed a bit off, and it made Arthur feel uneasy. He could tell that Merlin felt the same way because all of his smiles and laughs were mostly fake, not that the other occupants at the table could tell. Arthur came to the harsh realization that Merlin could easily fake many emotions soon after Arthur discovered that Merlin had magic. Arthur could never distinguish between a genuine smile and a fake smile when it came to Merlin before. It took decades of being around Merlin very closely to finally see the subtle differences between the two. It hit Arthur hard when he saw that Merlin wasn't the happy idiot he always thought him to be. Merlin was sad and lonely before.

After dinner, Arthur and Merlin retired to their shared bedroom, so they could talk privately.

"Something is up," Arthur said, closing the door behind him.

"I noticed it too," Merlin said. "Although, I have no idea what it is."

"Neither do I."

"Should we do anything?"

"No. We don't want to do anything to make anyone leerier of us. We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow. When we're there we just need to be careful of what we do."

Merlin nodded.

"Are you ready to go back to Hogwarts again?" Merlin asked, a true smile on his face.

Arthur laughed at the thought of going back to Hogwarts for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Well, I think it is certainly going to be different than all the other times we've been."

* * *

The morning of the day they left for Hogwarts was controlled chaos. Molly Weasley, who came over with her husband and Ginny, ran around the flat, making sure everyone had everything before they left. Merlin and Arthur sat down on their trunks by the door just watching it all. Over the centuries, they had learned to travel light as well as pack quickly and efficiently. Merlin had everything packed up within minutes of waking up. Arthur was the same.

From the way Mrs. Weasley was shouting, Merlin guessed that the others weren't the best at getting their things together. He shuttered to think what it was like just a few years ago when she had more children attending Hogwarts. If her other children were as bad as Ron was when it came to packing, Merlin felt sorry for the mother.

When everyone was finally ready, they all paired up and apparated to platform 9 3/4. Time began to blur as they all hastily loaded their trunks onto the train, said their goodbyes, and got themselves on the train before it rushed off. Merlin followed the group into an empty compartment and sat down. He still had a soft smile on his face after Molly gave him a large hug. It was a sad smile, though. She was vastly different from Merlin's own mother, but that motherly love is something that he hadn't felt in a very long time. It was nice.

Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needn't dwell on the past. Instead, he looked up and took a survey of the compartment. Neville and Luna must have come in while Merlin wasn't paying attention because they now were sitting across from him and talking to Ginny. Ron and Arthur had started up a game of Wizard's chess, and Hermione had her nose in a large book. Harry, on the other hand, was looking at Merlin.

Merlin quickly schooled his features and flashed Harry his trademark goofy smile.

"How long does this train ride usually last?" Merlin asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"Almost all day," Harry replied. "We'll get there around dinner time, and there will be a feast as well as the sorting ceremony."

"I wonder how they will sort you and Alden," Ginny said, joining in. "Do you think that they will make you both be sorted with all of the new first-years?"

"We won't," Merlin replied, pulling out a piece of folded parchment. "We got a letter last night from McGonagall, saying that she wants all of us to go to her office as soon as we arrive. She is going to sort me and Alden there before the hat is sent down to the Great Hall for the first-years, and she also wants to tell us all something in person."

Ginny and Harry nodded at that and then went on to talk about Quidditch.

"Are you going to play?" Ginny asked Harry.

"I don't know. I mean, would there even be time to practice and play games? Not only is there studying for classes, but there is also DA and the Order meetings. Plus, does playing Quidditch even matter with all that is going on?"

"Oh, come on, mate," Ron said, looking up from the chess game. "It'll be fun. I packed all of my Quidditch gear just in case. I say play."

"Yeah, Harry. It will also be a great way to relieve stress," Ginny said.

"I think its a good idea," Merlin added.

"Will you play?" Harry asked.

"Uh, no. I'm rubbish at it," Merlin said.

_If rubbish means that I can't even fly a broom without it exploding,_ he thought.

It was the same concept with wands. Merlin's old magic was just too strong for the core of a wand — or broom — to handle.

"What about you, Alden?" Ginny asked.

"I think I'll have to pass," he said, not looking up from the chessboard.

The rest of the train ride passed quickly. Arthur ended up winning the game of chess much to the surprise of all the others in the compartment. Merlin felt a bit sorry for Ron. He knew the redhead was a good chess player, but it's kind of hard to beat a man who was around when the game was invented. Also, chess was a game of strategy, and Arthur had been trained since birth on strategies because he was to grow up and become King, whose duty is to lead the Kingdom's army. Everyone else essentially just talked for the rest of the ride. Aside from the previous conversation, Merlin remained mostly quiet.

Once the train stopped, the group exited the train and walked to get on the first carriage to Hogwarts. Merlin couldn't help but cringe as he saw several students look surprisingly at the thestrals pulling the carriages. Many students could now see them after fighting in the battle.

As they pulled up to Hogwarts, Merlin couldn't help but be surprised at how well the castle looked. If Merlin hadn't seen the building during the aftermath of the battle, he wouldn't have been able to guess that it ever occurred. The building was fully restored and looked newer than it did before.

The walk to McGonagall's office was fast, and soon Harry was knocking on her office door. The office was much cleaner and organized than the last time Merlin had been in the room. Actually, the room was a bit bare. Everything that was owned by either Dumbledore or Snape that had been in the office before was gone, and McGonagall hadn't put much of anything to replace the items.

"Before we do anything else, we're going to have to get the two of you sorted," McGonagall said, pointing to both Merlin and Arthur. "The hat is going to be needed down in the Great Hall in a little bit. Who wants to go first?"

Merlin pushed Arthur forward. Arthur glared at him, who just smiled back.

"Thanks for volunteering, Mr. Penn," she said to Arthur and quickly dropped the hat on his head.

Silence filled the air as everyone was in suspense, waiting for the verdict. Merlin was trying not to laugh, though. Since the hat was taking a long time, and there was a scowl on Arthur's face, Merlin figured that the hat was considering putting Arthur in Hufflepuff again. Both Merlin and Arthur had attended Hogwarts many times. Almost every time, Arthur had been sorted into Gryffindor, and Merlin could logically see why. But one time they came here, the hat apparently decided to switch things up and sort Arthur into Hufflepuff. Merlin had never seen Arthur so confused and angry than he did when the hat was pulled off his head after shouting out the word 'Hufflepuff'.

Arthur's scowl began to deepen, and Merlin could only guess what was being said between the two.

_'Arthur, you are a very hard-working and loyal person. Hufflepuff is a good house for you.'_

_'Yes, but I am more brave and courageous. Just put me in Gryffindor like you always have before. I fit in perfectly there.'_

_'I just figured that since you have been in that house so many times before, that a change would be nice for you.'_

_'I've already had that change, and I have to say that I would much rather be put back into Gryffindor this time.'_

_'But...'_

_'Just put me in Gryffindor, dammit!'_

After the deafening silence that stretched on forever, the hat yelled out 'GRYFFINDOR'. Arthur all but threw the hat at Merlin, causing him to smirk. Arthur was never a fan of the hat. Merlin liked it, though, and happily put in on.

_Good to see you again, Emrys._

_Did you have an argument with Arthur again?_

_I was merely attempting to add some variety to his times here at Hogwarts, and he did make a good Hufflepuff._

_He never forgave you for that, you know?_

_I gathered that from our conversation a minute ago. Anyway, what house do you want to be in this time?_

_You're_ _not going to sort me?_

_You already know the answer, Emrys. You are magic itself. I do not have the power to judge upon that._

_Fine. You'll argue with Arthur to no end about where to sort him but always let me decide._

_So, what is your decision going to be this time?_

_I'll go with Gryffindor, please._

_Your wish is my command._

"GRYFFINDOR," the hat yelled out for the second time that night.

Merlin smiled as he handed the hat to McGonagall, who quickly took it to the door to give to Professor Flitwick, who was standing outside.

"Congratulations," McGonagall said, returning to the group. "Gryffindor is a great house to be in. It is also my house, although, I am no longer the head of the house."

"Who is now?" Hermione asked.

"It's none other than Hagrid himself!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked excited about that, and from what Merlin had seen, he believed that he would make an excellent Head of the Gryffindor House.

"Now, the reason as to why all of you are up here. After corresponding with Mr. Longbottom and Mrs. Lovegood, I have been talking it over with some other Professors, and we have decided that it would be best to have the DA meetings on Saturday evenings. Any student who wishes to attend is allowed. Is that good for everyone here?"

There was a collective mumble of 'yes' and some nods of the head.

"Good, I will be able to announce it at the feast in a little bit. Also, since all of you are still allowed to attend the Order meetings, whenever there is one, you all are to come here. We will be using the fireplace in my office to floo to the Grimmauld Place. There is not a set schedule of meetings as of now, so I will just inform you of one as soon as I find out. That should be it for now. I suggest we head down to the Great Hall. Don't want to miss the feast, now do we?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the new version of Potter, Emrys, and Pendragon. Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.
> 
> More chapters will come soon.
> 
> SuperSherlockedGallifreyan
> 
>  
> 
> Scildan - to shield/protect/guard/defend
> 
> Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard! - teleportation spell
> 
> Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ! - healing spell (combats poison and restarts the heart)
> 
> *All Old Religion spells that will be in this fanfic have been used in Merlin.
> 
> **The Merlin wikia website is my source for the definition and spelling of all Old Religion spells in this chapter as well as future chapters.


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